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Euronews
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Thousands attend rival marches as Poland's presidential runoff nears
The second round of the Polish presidential election is set to be tight, with both candidates going head to head. Both Civic Coalition candidate Rafał Trzaskowski and Law and Justice or PiS party-backed candidate Karol Nawrocki argue that if they were to win, the entirety of Poland would win. Tens of thousands of Poles from across the country took part in dueling patriotic marches in Warsaw on Sunday. Banners and flags, not just only of Poland, but also of the European Union, flew at Trzaskowski's "Great Patriots March." "We are from a small village, from Kokoszkowe near Starogard Gdański, and we got up at six in the morning. The journey went quickly for us. Of course we [voted] for Rafał Trzaskowski. Otherwise is simply unthinkable," one of the march attendees told Euronews. "I support Trzaskowski, maybe not because I was his first voter, because I didn't vote for him in the first round, of course, but nevertheless, we need to mobilise," said a young man in the march, for whom this is the first presidential election in which he can vote. Meanwhile, people at the "March for Poland" supporting Nawrocki stressed the importance of traditional values. "I want Poland to be Poland, for me this is the basis," an attendee of the march told Euronews. "We support right-wing views. First of all, freedom, sovereignty, defence of borders, defence of the Polish zloty. We are doing very well economically," another woman said while walking through the centre together with other Nawrocki supporters. "We think that Poland with Mr. Karol [Nawrocki] will be safe. We don't want illegal immigrants. We want to feel safe," explained another woman who went to the march with her young children. According to Donald Tusk, half a million people were present at the march in support of Trzaskowski. "There are half a million of us. I believe in you. I believe in Poland," the Prime Minister wrote on social media platform X. Meanwhile, the organisers of the march in support of Nawrocki reported at least 100,000 people took part. However, press agencies, including Associated Press, and local media reported a much lower attendance, claiming tens of thousands of Poles took part in both marches combined. German police authorities did not provide information on the turnout at the marches. The pro-European mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, took part in the "Great Patriots March," sending a strong symbol regarding his support of European values. During his speech, Dan stressed that they share the same values and priorities. The President-elect said that countries cannot develop without a united European Union and that he believes in a strong Poland, and in a strong European Union. He also assured that, as President of Romania, he would work closely with Rafał Trzaskowski and Donald Tusk. On 13 May, in turn, nationalist Romanian presidential candidate George Simion came to Poland to support his opponent, the Law and Justice Party-backed Nawrocki. The second round of the presidential election in Poland will take place on 1 June. The demonstration, organised under the slogan 'Let's save our public health', highlighted the growing public unease over what they see as the privatisation and dismantling of Madrid's public health system. Organised by the platform 'Vecinas y vecinos de los barrios y pueblos de la Comunidad de Madrid', the protest started simultaneously from four strategic points in the capital. This mass mobilisation reflects the widespread concern about the current state of public healthcare in the city and the policies implemented by the regional government. Demonstrators criticised the "unbearable delays in primary care" and the shortage of staff. The manifesto read during the rally denounced the existence of a million people on waiting lists and "tens of thousands of children without a paediatrician assigned to them" in what is Spain's richest region. Ricardo Chacón, representative of the organising platform, said the privatisation of health was "not working" and that it was in private economic interests rather than for the benefit of patients. Luis López, another spokesperson for the group, called for a significant increase in the regional health budget, demanding that at least 25% be earmarked for strengthening primary care. The organisers emphasised the importance of preventive healthcare as a more economical and effective strategy than focusing resources solely on curative treatments. This perspective seeks a paradigm shift in health management in Madrid, prioritising the accessibility and quality of primary health care. The demonstration had a notable representation of left-wing parties and trade unions supporting citizens' demands. Reyes Maroto, Socialist spokesperson in the Madrid City Council, urged support for the "thousands of people who are waiting for a medical appointment" and do not have private insurance as an alternative. Manuela Bergerot, from Más Madrid, offered concrete data on the regional health crisis: 139,000 children without a paediatrician assigned to them and 625,000 patients without a family doctor. The political leader directly linked this situation to privatisation policies, specifically denouncing the relationship between the Quirón Group and the personal entourage of the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. MEP Irene Montero (Podemos party) added an ethical dimension to the debate, saying that without universal access to quality public healthcare "there is no democracy and no dignity of life". Montero also referred to controversy over the Quirón Group's contracts with Ayuso's partner, alleging an increase in payments and privatisations coinciding with this personal relationship. The mobilisation of citizens in defence of Madrid's public health system is evidence of a growing political polarisation around regional health management. While the demonstrators demand a reversal of privatisation policies.
LeMonde
25-05-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Tens of thousands turn out for rival rallies for Polish presidency candidates
Tens of thousands of people rallied in central Warsaw on Sunday, May 25, in rival demonstrations for the two candidates in Poland's presidential election on June 1. Warsaw's pro-EU mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who is backed by Poland's centrist government, led a "Great March of Patriots" to Constitution Square. Nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki's "March for Poland" was due to end up at Castle Square in Warsaw's Old Town. Nawrocki's supporters sang patriotic and religious songs and held up signs calling for an end to immigration. "I am Polish and so I am voting for a candidate who will guarantee our future and act as a counterbalance to the current government," said Piotr Slaby, a financial sector worker from the city of Przemysl in southeastern Poland. Piotr Nowak, a technician from Warsaw, 41, said: "We have a cosmopolitan government. They want to introduce the euro and we will lose our sovereignty." Opinion polls are predicting a dead heat, with both candidates on 46.3%. Trzaskowski, 53, won the first round of the election on May 18 by a razor-thin margin, getting 31% against 30% for 42-year-old Nawrocki. An overall victory for Trzaskowski in the election would be a major boost for the government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The former European Council president has been at loggerheads with the current nationalist president, Andrzej Duda, since coming to power in 2023. A win for Nawrocki – a fan of US President Donald Trump – would probably extend the political deadlock in the Central European country of 38 million people. Experts predict this could lead to fresh parliamentary elections. A Nawrocki victory could also chip away at Poland's steadfast support for Ukraine, as he opposes NATO membership for Ukraine and has denounced the benefits given to the one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland. At the Trzaskowski rally, many supporters could be seen waving European Union and LGBTQ flags. Romanian president-elect Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist who is due to be sworn in on Monday in his country, also attended the Trzaskowki march. Dan won a tense election this month against nationalist rival George Simion, who had campaigned against the EU's "absurd policies" and wanted to cut aid to Ukraine. Trzaskowski, who is married with two children, has vowed to campaign for women's rights and legalize abortion in the predominantly Catholic country, which has a near-total ban on the procedure.
DW
25-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Poles march in Warsaw to back rival presidential candidates – DW – 05/25/2025
Marches have taken place in the Polish capital, led by the two candidates in a June 1 runoff presidential election. The contest is being seen as battle between pro-EU and liberal values and nationalist conservatism. The two candidates who will vie for the Polish presidency in June 1 runoff elections led rival marches in the capital, Warsaw, on Sunday. One march was headed by Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who has voiced support for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and the other by Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian whose backers believe he stands for conservative values and holds an anti-abortion position. Nawrocki (C) led the 'March for Poland' Image: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty Images The vote comes as incumbent conservative President Andrzej Duda is due to leave office in summer when his second and final five-year term ends. Trzaskowski's march was also attended by newly elected Romanian President Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU politician who defeated far-right challenger George Simion late last week. What do we know about the rival candidates? Trzaskowski called his rally a "March of Patriots," while Nawrocki's followers held a "March for Poland." Recent polls have shown that the election is likely to be closely fought, with both candidates enjoying 47% support. A 'March for Poland' was led by Rafal Trzaskowski Image: Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images The election could have a great influence on the political direction taken by Poland, as the president has enough powers to block any government's agenda. Duda is backed the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which held power in Poland for eight years from 2015 to 2023. PiS hope to retain presidential veto Duda has used his presidential veto to stop many of the bills put forward by reformist Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government, including attempts to reform the judiciary. Tusk came to power in 2023 under a broad coalition of center-left and centrist parties and has pledged to undo policies enacted by PiS that had been criticized by the EU for undermining rule of law and minority rights. Trazaskowski, who is backed by Tusk's ruling Civic Coalition alliance, received the most votes in last Sunday's first round with 31.36% support. Nawrocki, who is backed by the PiS party, won 29.54% of votes. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
